RBSiC has excellent properties including heat resistance, abrasion resistance, high rigidity, high thermal conductivity, or low thermal expansion and thus RBSiC can be used, for example, as high-temperature structural members or abrasion-resistant members. As the production process of RBSiC, a process which has been widely adopted in the art includes the steps of preparing a green body containing silicon carbide particles and carbon by casting or pressing, infiltrating the green body with silicon, and subjecting the infiltrated green body to reaction sintering.
For example, Stevinson et al., SOLID FREEFORM FABRICATION PROCEEDINGS; (2006) p. 359-365 (NPL 1) describes a process that includes providing silicon carbide particles and a phenol resin as a raw material, preparing a green body of silicon carbide by SLS process, infiltrating the green body of silicon carbide with an epoxy resin, then impregnating with silicon, and obtaining a RBSiC member.
A relatively low in fillability is found in a green body of silicon carbide obtained by a SLS process using silicon carbide particles and a binder as raw materials. This is because pressure is not applied in this forming method. This leads to a low proportion (filling rate) of silicon carbide in the green body and a low density. As a result, the strength of the green body is low. By heating the green body after the preparation of the green body, the binder contained in the green body disappears or shrinks so that sometimes the shape of the green body cannot be kept. Consequently, the handleability of the green body of silicon carbide is poor, and, thus, there is a possibility that the green body might be broken by small force.
In order to solve these problems, Stevinson et al. (NPL 1) discloses a method that includes impregnating a green body of silicon carbide with an epoxy resin and sintering the impregnated green body to obtain a RBSiC member. According to finding by the present inventors, however, this has not lead to the provision of a RBSiC member that has a large size and a complicated structure and possesses excellent ceramic properties such as rigidity and strength.